Pat Fitzgerald open to coaching in the NFL, reveals likelihood he lands there

Former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is ready for his next gig. After being let-go in July 2023 from the Wildcats, the longtime Big Ten leader is weighing his options.

He joined the College GameDay Podcast with Rece Davis and Pete Thamel this week. During his appearance, he explained his will to get back into coaching, and why the NFL would even be an interesting option to him.

“Some people have asked me, ‘Do you want to coach in the NFL?’ I would. Sure, I’d love to,” Fitzgerald elaborated. “I’m great friends with John Harbaugh and a lot of other guys — Pete Carroll was gracious enough to let me go out to Seattle for three days. Unbelievable. I can go on and on with the list of guys that were incredible to me in allowing me to grow professionally.

“Do I think I could go bring what we do and go win a Super Bowl? Absolutely. I just don’t think that that timing is going to play out with where things are going to go, based on the interest to this point. We’ll see how that plays out.

“I want to coach at the highest level. Want to win championships with great people. Just be aligned. It’s simple to say, but hard to do.”

Whether it’s the NFL or one of the various college head coaching vacancies, Fitzgerald would bring an interesting mix to whatever teams chooses him. He certainly has what it takes, and the more time that passes from his last gig, the more likely it seems that a team will take a chance on him.

More on Pat Fitzgerald, coaching future

Over his 17 seasons in charge, Fitzgerald led Northwestern to a 110-101 (65-76) record with a 5-5 bowl record. This included a 35-19 win over Auburn in the 2021 Citrus Bowl, capping off a 7-2 COVID-shortened season in 2020 in which the Wildcats finished ranked No. 10 in the final AP Poll.

ESPN’s Greg McElroy revealed last month that he believes that Fitzgerald is a name to watch in the Penn State coaching search. Fitzgerald did ‘more with less’, and McElroy noted this could be an interesting partnership with the Nittany Lions.

“Just throwing it out there. Remember the name Pat Fitzgerald, just saying,” McElroy said on Always College Football. “Remember the name. With what transpired, and he got paid, actually, by Northwestern because of how that all went down.

“He’s available, has Big Ten experience, has done more with less for a very long time, which is the exact opposite of what James Franklin did. He did less with more. So we’ll see what happens. But that’s a name, by the way. Little nugget. Keep it in (mind).”

Whether it’s Penn State, the NFL or a different opening, it’s evident Fitzgerald wants to get back into coaching. He’s ready, and now we’ll see if there’s a team or program willing to dance with him.